My Rewrite of The Wise Little Girl

My Rewrite of 'The Wise Little Girl'

There was once a time in the Kingdom of Bohemia, under the rule of the mighty but ill-tempered King Branislav, when a market was held every summer. People came from all over the country to buy and sell any number of things. There were big warm quilts and sparkling gold necklaces, poppy seed cookies and ripe red cherries, colorful flowers and even great big horses with rippling muscles.

Every summer, two neighbor women, Danuska and Zelenka, had stalls next to each other at the market. They would compete over who would earn more each year. Danuska sold pretty, white lace tablecloths. Zelenka sold bright blue irises and violas in big bouquets and usually took home more money at the end of the market. And then she made fun of poor Danuska. After one especially poor market season, Danuska couldn't afford the thread to make her lace. Her daughter Dasha suggested that she try selling honey next year. They set about getting some bees, and hid them in a little shed so that Zelenka wouldn't know about their secret plan.

The next year, when Danuska and Dasha met their neighbor to push their carts to the market, Zelenka was furious to see the jars full of sticky sweet honey. She knew that Danuska had no flowers, and proclaimed that the honey belonged to her because the bees had used her flowers to make it. As they loudly argued their way to the market, a fancy group of people and horses passed by on the road. They were dressed in fine clothing and their horses wore jingling silver bells. It was King Branislav, known far and wide for his grouchiness, and he was traveling to the summer market as well. "Maminka," Dasha said (because that is what little children called their mothers in Bohemia), "Ask King Branislav to solve this problem. He is wise, and I am sure he will let you keep the honey." After being convinced by Dasha, the women presented their case to the king. It was obvious to him that Danuska clearly owned the honey, but he was in his typical irritable mood. King Branislav decided to have some fun. He told them that it was much too complicated to make a decision right away and that instead, they would each have a day to solve four riddles and then give their answers in his court.

"What is the fastest thing in the world? What is the fattest? What is the softest and what is the most precious?"

Whichever woman could answer the riddles would receive the honey. The king sat back and smiled to himself because he was sure that neither woman would come up with the answers. The two women grumbled their way back home for the day, for neither wanted to go to the market without the honey. That night, they stewed over the riddles. Zelenka tried as hard as she could to come up with creative and wonderful answers, but finally gave up and went to her husband Luda for help. Luda was the smartest person she knew, and she was sure that he could help. Luda thought for a minute and then declared, "The fastest thing in the world is my stallion, the fattest is our sow, the softest thing ever is our big feather bed and of course the most precious is our son Dudek. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world!" Zelenka gave Luda a big kiss on the cheek and announced that he was the smartest man in the world!

Meanwhile, Danuska was having the same problem. "How can I possibly solve these riddles for the king? I am not wise enough to know the answers!" But little Dasha told her, "Don't worry Maminka. I will help you. You must tell the king that the fastest thing in the world is the North Wind. The fattest is the earth itself, because it feeds everything in the world. The softest thing in the world is a child's hand in yours and the sweetest thing is a kiss". At this, Danuska gave her daughter a big hug that lifted her off her feet.

"I believe that you are the sweetest thing in the world, or at least in this kingdom!" she laughed. The next morning, Danuska and Zelenka presented themselves to the king. They gave their answers, and the king looked startled when he heard Danuska's.

"Tell me," he said, "Did you think of the answers yourself, or did someone tell you, Danuska?" Danuska admitted that her little daughter had helped her, and the king proclaimed, "Well, if your daughter is so clever, let her solve another sort of riddle! Have her come here to my court tomorrow morning neither undressed nor dressed, neither on foot nor on horseback and neither bearing a gift nor empty-handed!" Danuska walked home slowly, crying, "Oh, Dasha surely cannot obey the king's orders and I do not doubt that we will be punished for it." But when she told her daughter about the king's commands, Dasha simply smiled and told her not to worry.

"Maminka," she said, "Let us be happy for a while tonight. Can we bake some kolaches? The kind with cherry filling? Those are my favorite." And Danuska felt so sorry for her daughter that she agreed, and set about making the little cookies. The next morning, Dasha rose early and quietly gathered a little bundle together. She took her dog Cestmir and left her mother sleeping in their little house. She and Cestmir walked the long road to the city, and just outside the king's court, they stopped. She opened the little bundle and carefully took out one of her mother's lace tablecloths. Out of her apron pocket she took a cherry kolache from the night before. Then, she took off all her clothes! She wrapped the tablecloth around her like a blanket and, holding the kolache, climbed on top of Cestmir. Arranged like this, they crossed through the big doors of the court.

The king laughed when Dasha entered the room. "It seems that you have nearly obeyed my orders," he said, "But I told you not to bring a gift!" With that, Dasha took a big bite out of the kolache and smiled sweetly. The king laughed even harder, and then demanded that Dasha and her mother be given the honey, along with one hundred gold coins. Dasha finished eating the kolache, put her clothes back on, and used her tablecloth to carry the gold pieces back home.